HIV Vaccine on the Horizon?

By Jane Coaston | September 18, 2013

HIV particles under high magnification. New research is creating hope for a vaccine for HIV.

The Telegraph

We’ve written before about the hunt for a vaccine to prevent HIV. From scientists finding ways to replicate effective antibody responses to HIV to conferences focused on the challenges of creating a vaccine, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has been a leader in the effort to eliminate HIV through research. Now, new news from Canada is giving researchers and scientists new reasons for hope.

Earlier this month, scientists at the University of Western Ontario launched human trials for an HIV vaccine called SAV001. The vaccine uses the “killed whole virus” approach, similar to existing vaccines for polio and rabies, which uses a genetically modified version of the virus to create an immune response. However, since humans are the only species affected by HIV, human trials will be the only test to determine if the vaccine is effective.

In addition, researchers in Oregon have created a vaccine for the primate form of HIV, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which could soon be tested in humans. According to Voice of America, scientists at the Oregon Health & Science University altered a common virus and paired it with SIV to provoke an immune response. Now the researchers are working on increasing the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Stay tuned to our blog for more information on this and other studies on HIV and a vaccine to prevent the virus.

Jane Coaston is Media Relations Coordinator for the Foundation, based in Washington, D.C.